The Des Moines Register says authorities have received reports of several such fraud attempts.

A caller who claims to be with a business, utility or law enforcement calls and claims that the victim is behind on a payment and will face loss of services or legal consequences if they don't pay immediately.

The caller tells the victim to purchase a money card and call back with the card number.

In recent months, officials have taken reports where callers claimed to be from MidAmerican Energy, the IRS and a law enforcement official that arrested the victim's family member.

Suspects can sometimes create a fake caller ID to make the call appear legitimate.